Waxing my own skis for the first time

M

MattL_RG

Member
So I went out and bought a cheap iron and some wax and a scraper at my ski shop, and I've spent about 3 hours now on the entire process from putting wax on the skis to scraping it off and buffing it, and I'm still only like 85% done. This is SO much work and I'm standing out in 40 degree weather on my back porch doing all of this. I feel like its going to take me a few times of doing this before I can do it quickly and efficiently.

Anyone else been waxing skis for a while have any tips on how to get it done quicker or have interesting stories about when they first starting waxing?
 
It should be like 10 minutes tops.

Wax for 5, let em sit for an hour, scrap for 5. Doneso.

Helps if you have a good spot (shop table) that's easy to clean up.
 
Literally takes me 30 minutes for both skis.

1. Melt wax on ski A.

2. Iron wax into ski A.

3. Let ski A sit.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for ski B while ski A cools.

5. Scrape ski A tip to tail 3 or so times.

6. Use brush or brilla pad to buff.

7. Repeat 5-6 for ski B.

Easy.
 
Its literally that easy, shouldnt take you too long. My college buddies and I can get 3 pairs of skis waxed and scraped in about 20 minutes flat now, and thats doing them on the floor with no aid from clamps or anything. Big mistake people make is to put way too much wax on.
 
not really, it may wear some of the wax off, but you won't be able to get nearly as much speed as if you actually scrape. And if you do this then you will actually have to scrape before re waxing or youll just be putting dirty wax back into the pores in your bases
 
What wax did you buy? Wax for colder temperatures is hard and it can take longer to scrap it off. Still not 3 hours though. You'll do it faster next time.
 
Brass brushes are really good at getting excess wax off, I do have one, but the only thing you need to be careful with them is to not brush to hard. Nylon brushes can't really mess up your bases, I think that's why most use them.
 
I don't think too many people on this site are super worried about base structure.

But a brass (or any other metal, whatever I can get the cheapest) is definitely what I will buy next to add to my tools. I truly think that a good brushing is key to fast bases
 
i just use a brass brush that was made for removing paint that i got at a hardware store for like $5. works perfectly and way cheaper than one at a ski shop
 
I believe brass brushes are used to remove dirt from the base before waxing, not after. After scraping only a nylon brush is needed.
 
like one of these?
170241_front500.jpg


The wires on paint removal brushes seem so long
 
Yes you are correct that brass brushes are used to remove gunk and other excess material from your bases, but you can also use it after waxing to remove more excess wax before using a nylon brush. A lot of it is just preference.
 
I only ever use a solid all temp wax. I'm not too picky between hard and soft waxes. I would be more concerned if I was racing.

All temp is pretty versatile and has worked great for me.
 
Get yourself a good wide scraper from the hardware store. Like a 6 inch wide one. That way you can get down in it with both hands and scrape hard to the edge. Should only take a second or two to scrape off the excess wax. Polish with any old rag when done until nice and smooth. It should only take you about 15 min to wax your shit once you got it down.

 
Now that I think about it, make sure you move the iron frequently. I've heard of people letting the iron sit in one spot on the base for too long causing the top sheet to bubble and delam.

Whether that was a true story or not, moral of the story is to move frequently avoiding one spot of the ski from heating up to the point of damage.

Also make sure the iron is only hot enough to melt the wax. If the wax is smoking on the iron, that means it's too hot.

Those are the only pointers I got for ya.
 
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